Adjustable-guard-rail brace-plate



' B. TI GIBBS, JR. ADJUSTABLE GUARD RAIL BRACE PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5| 1920.

Patented May 3,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@naald fs B. T. elses', 1R. ADJUSTABLE GUARD RAIL BRACE PLATE.

I APPLICATION msn MAR. 5, 1920. 1,376,525.

Patented May 3, 1921.

' B. T. G|BBS,1R. ADJUSTABLE GUARD RAIL BRAGE PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5 1920.

Patented May 3,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

A WHL? H z 4 )ALL M 6 70 M m/ m L A UNITED STATES lMTENT oFFIcE.

BENEDICT T. GrIBIBS7 JR., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO MOB/DEN FROG &: CROSSING WORKS, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE-GUARD-RAIL BRACE-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Application filed March 5, 1920. Serial No. 363,486.

T0 @ZZ rai/wm @'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, BnNnDro'r T. Grens, Jr.. citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Adjustable-Guard- Rail Brace-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the general class or" mechanisms frequently designated guard rail clamps for so detachably securing a guard raid to a main rail that, as wear takes place, the guard rail may be adjusted to proper position with a minimum expenditure of work and annoyance.

The object of the invention is to provide such a mechanism mounted upon a brace plate which can be substituted for the ordinary guard rail tie plate, thereby saving the expense of that plate, said brace plate carrying` with it the adjusting mechanism which, for required strength, is very light in construction, easily and cheaply made, satisfactory in operation and not readily liable to get out of order.

The invention consists in means for can rying out the foregoing and other objects hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of mechanism illustrating this invention in its preferred form. the same being shown operatively applied to the rails.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view on the line 2 2 FiO 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 2 showing a modified construction in which the vertical angularity of one of the wedge faces is changed. l

Fig. 4 is another sectional view showing a slight modification, in the bending of the brace plate.

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a plan View and a sectional view on the line 6 6, showing a modified structure in which a cast plate is used in place of the bent construction previously shown.

In the preferred form of construction shown in Fig. 1 a plate 10 of bendable material is provided, adapted to be detachably secured on top of the tie 12 by any suitable means, which in the particular case here' illustrated, takes the form of two spikes 14 so placed as to engage in addition the outer flange 16 of the main rail 18, and two other spikes 2O conveniently located near the other end of the plate.

The end of the plate which is adjacent to the main rail 18 preferably has some portion turned up over the flange 16 of the rail. In the particular case here illus trated this turned up portion takes the form of the clip 22 made by notching the plate end in the parallel lines 24.y

Adjacent to the main rail 18 is placed a guard rail 26 which is to be adjusted in the usual manner, laterally, of the main rail 18. These two rails 18 and 26 are separated by the adjustably spreadable, multiple block mechanism without novelty appearing between them in the drawings. The iirst block 28 bears against the main rail 18 and is held against longitudinal movement with reference to the rail by downwardly projecting lugs 30 which enter suitable recesses 32 formed for the purpose in the main plate 10. The second block 34 bears against and is slidable lengthwise of the guard rail 26, when it is not held against such movement by the serrated diagonal or wedge face 36, intermeshing with a corresponding face ony the block 28. It is entirely apparent from the drawings that by first separating these blocks and moving block 34 upward as viewed in Fig. 1 one serratio'n and then fitting them together again the distance between the flanges ofrails 18 and 26 will be lessened and that conversely moving the block downward as viewed in Fig. 1 ,will increase the total transverse thickness of the combined blocks and thus hold the rails farther apart than in the previous position.

In assembling the two rails either originally or on subsequent adjustment these blocks are interfitted as just described to afford the proper operating distance between the adjacent faces 38 and 40 of the rail heads whereupon the guard rail is moved up against the block combination and secured in place by other mechanism which will now be described.

Having positioned spacing block mechanism 28-84 and moved the guard rail 26 up to place, it is there detachably, adjustably, rigidly secured in place by the mechanismof this invention. This is accomplished by forming on the end ofthe plate tical, spaced apart, Side flanges 42. This V Y center portion 44 has a laterally inclined `vertical bearing face 46 above the plate l() and comparatively near therrail 26, and lower down another vertical but laterally inclined face 48 parallel to the face 46, said latter 'face 48 beingimmediately adjacent to the plate 10. This member 42-44 de- 1 scribed rises from a base portion comprisby a rivet 58. T

ing two outside flanges 50 secured to the plate l0 by rivets 52, and a central flange portion 54 which is, in the case here illus- ,trated, embraced by an upwardly turned clip 56 cut fronrthe late l0 and held in place his clip is accurately made so that `its end 60 abuts against a corresponding face 62 on the central portion 44 of the casting. The result of this construction is that this block is so firmly attached to the plate l0. that it is prepared to resist anyhorizontal strain created by the move- `ment of the guard rail 26 away from the main rail. Slidably mounted between the guard rail 26 and this block is a wedge block 64 adapted to fit under the head of the rail 26 and slide along its web on. the straight face A68. The opposite side of this block 64 is provided with angularly inclined wedge faces 70 and k72 engaging respectively the horizontally spaced faces 46 and 48 of the bearing block. Actual experience demonstrates that devices of this kind with a single wedge surface as at 46 only, exert a great bending strain on plate 10 at about the lower portion of rivet 52 which tends totear the whole mechanism off from the plate and that this trouble is largely, if not entirely Veliminated by the use -of the two wedge surfaces in different planes. This Wedge member 64 is also provided with a horizontalflange 74 traveling in a U-shaped slot 76 inthe bearingblock, this flange being provided with a series of staggered holes 7 6 adapted to selectively register with correspending holes 78 in member 44, a cotter pin 8O being provided for insertion in oppositely disposed holes T6 and 78 to rigidly secure the wedge block 64 in desired selective position.

i VF rom the foregoing it will be seen that Vby properly positioning the wedge block 64 and then inserting the cotter pin 86, guard rail 26 may be vrigidly secured against the previously adjusted block mechanism 28--34 and consequently with reference to the main rail 18.

The construction of Fig. 3 differs from that of Fig. 2 only in that inclined bearing faces 82 and 84 are provided in place of the overlapping flange 54, corresponding toA 'flange 54, brought u a in the overturned end 86 which abuts against this Bange 54, the latter being held in place by the rivet 88 shorter than rivet 58.

The constructions of Figs. 5 and 6 differ from that of Figs. l and 2 only in that a cast plate 90 having on one end an integral cast clip 92 performing the functions of clip 22 and at the other end an integrallyycast bearing block 94, performing the functions of block 42--44 is used in place of the bend able construction. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In mechanism of the class described, a

plate adapted to extend under the rails, a

bearing block forming a port-ion ofthe Aclamping mechanism rising from the plate, the same comprising a flanged base lying on the plate and an upper portion rising therefrom, meansA securing the flange portion to the base plate, and a member turned up from the plate beyond the bearing block, and riveted to the bearing block to prevent movement of the bearing block longitudinally of the plate.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sul scribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

BENEDIC'I T. GIBBS, Jn. Witnesses DWIGHT B; CHnnvnn, ANNA RosEN'rHAL. 

